Airborne 12.09.16

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Airborne 12.09.16

Smaller Of Two Hangars Going Up In Mohave Desert

Construction is now underway on an 88,000 sq. ft. hangar in the
Mohave Desert which will house the factory which builds the latest
collaboration between aircraft designer Burt Rutan and Microsoft
co-founder Paul Allen. Their new company, Stratolaunch Systems,
Inc., is based in Huntsville, Alabama, but construction and testing
of the six-engine mothership inspired by Rutan's earlier White
Knight will happen in the California desert.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Gary Wentz, Stratolaunch's
CEO, commented at last week's groundbreaking, "Today marks the
start of an exciting journey for us. Over the next year, we will
have a visible presence in the Antelope Valley with two new
facilities and a pair of 747-400 aircraft which will undergo
salvage to supply parts and subsystems for integration into our
carrier aircraft."

The plane will be the largest ever to fly, with a wingspan of
385 feet. The partners have previously said they will use engines,
avionics, flight deck, landing gear and other systems recycled from
retired Boeing 747s to reduce development costs.

The hangar now under construction will actually be the smaller
of at least two to be built at Mohave. The next one will enclose
94,000 sq. ft., and allow wing-to-fuselage assembly, as well as
providing office space.